Wine-wizard

Over-Sulfiting Your Grape Must

Article

Rooted in History: Craft Your Own Alsatian-Style Wines

The Alsace Valley produces some of the world’s finest wines. Get pointers on making wines like the Alsatians.

Article

Causes and Treatments for Volatile Acidity

Winemakers always need to pay special attention to the possibility of rising volatile acidity and ways to stem its effects.

Article

Graciano

A grape variety that has recently garnered a following thanks to its tannic structure and ability to retain acidity in warm climates, Gracia

Article

Screw-top Bottle Closures, Aging Temperatures and Blueberry Woes

A winemaker has saved up a bunch of commercial screw-cap bottles and wants to know what cork size fits best in that style of bottle. Learn w

Wine-wizard

Troubleshooting a Blueberry Wine

Article

Practical Sulfite Management

The use of sulfites in wine — how much, or even if used at all — remains a contentious subject. Here’s a simple yet practical approach

Technique

Enological Oxygen Principles and Practices

While it sometimes gets a bad rap because too much oxygen can destroy a wine, oxygen is also very important to the winemaking process. Learn

Article

Vermentino

With its home along the shores of the Mediterranean Sea, this white grape is starting to find its way to the U.S. for good reason. Learn abo

Wine-wizard

Stabilizing A Fruit Port

Wine-wizard

Sacrificial Tannins Explained

Article

Sacrificial Tannins Explained, Yeast Rehydration, and Stabilizing A Fruit Port

The term “sacrificial tannins” is something that gets casually tossed into the winemaking lexicon by those who have been in the trade fo

Article

Let’s Start Making Wine

Are you or a friend new to the hobby of winemaking? Don’t worry — WineMaker’s Technical Editor Bob Peak is here to explain the basics

Technique

Just the pHacts

If you are a winemaker looking to boost your wine’s quality, then tracking pH is a must. Bob Peak introduces the chemistry behind the numb

Wine-wizard

Learning To Taste Wine At Different Stages

Article

The Science of Winemaking

There is a lot of chemistry involved in winemaking — the better you understand it, the better chance you have of consistently making quali

Article

Tasting Wine In Stages and Bottling Blues

As a winemaker evolves, learning how to evaluate their wine during different stages of maturation can be key. The Wine Wizard has some thoug

Article

Graceful Garnacha: A grape with many facets

With origins in Spain, Garnacha grapes may now be more commonly associated with the Rhône and Languedoc-Roussillon region of France where i

Article

Using The Smoke, Campden Tablets, Getting Grape Updates, and Some Pearls of Wiz-dom

With wildfires on the rise in many wine regions around the world, smoke taint has become a common phrase. Learn about it and ways winemakers

Wine-wizard

Campden Tablets Best Practices

Article

Determining Ripeness in Wine Grapes

Though often described in terms of °Brix, a grape’s sugar level is not the best indicator of ripeness. Get a better understanding of the

Article

Volatile Acidity Basics

It’s a dirty phrase in most winemaking circles, but volatile acidity is found in all wine and having a little can actually add complexity

Article

Practical Advice For Oak Chips and Volatile Acidity

Article

Malolactic-palooza and The Importance Of pH

Malolactic fermentation can be finicky even for professional winemakers, but there are protocols winemakers can follow to help avoid the hea

Wine-wizard

Troubleshooting Malolactic Fermentation

Malolactic fermentation seems to be going well (slow bubbling) but one of the carboys has nice, fairly clear red wine while the other has cl